Contextual Practice - 15th September

Vanessa Jackson - ‘UpTownDancing’

A group of British artists including Vanessa Jackson, Micheal Armitage, Isaac Julien, Farshid Moussari and Yinka Shonibrae worked together to ‘inject life back into the neglected city centre’.

Jackson brought her abstract style to invoke feelings of joy and movement’ after the Pandemic left London in a state of grey. Transforming zebra crossings into runways of colour and energy, almost inviting you to dance down them.

'Vanessa Jackson’s designs for the pedestrian crossings titled Up Town Dancing are bold and colourful, but their restrained geometry suggests order and conformity rather than 1960s-style libertine freedom; a mood in keeping with a cautious return to ‘normal’ after a long lockdown.' She says that she’s “looking forward to people not just walking across my pavements – like Abbey Road – but actually, I hope they’ll be dancing.”

I love how she's encouraging people to come together in a public place for the first time in months to express their joy. She points out the small pleasures in life that we may take for granted, like walking down the street .

“In the crossings... there’s an interaction in the colours and forms. I was trying to be a little bit electric and to keep it animated because I like to dance, and experience is an animated thing.”

Michael Armitage, Farshid Moussavi and Yinka Shonibare were called on to design 30 flags hanging across Piccadilly.

Over 15 flags inspired by the Eros statue were created in order to ‘evoke feelings of love for the city’. Instead of it shooting arrows, it shoots roses to express the love to those who want to return to London and how it embraces them back.

'The two-dimensional aspect of flags and super flat pavement designs seem to cross-reference the Japanese postmodern Superflat movement—known for bold shapes and colours and lack of perspective—with the concept of a magic carpet ride.'

Reminding me of the famous film 'Aladdin' where a magic carpet ride reminds Aladdin and Jasmine just how beautiful their city is.

'The designs represent the distinctive styles, mediums and influences of the three artists, yet displayed together, passersby will also notice the harmony of the flags, as if they were a collaboration rather than an independent commission. '

Emphasising the importance of coming together after being kept apart for so long.

Research - Part 1

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